Category Archives: 21st century schools

Scarborough HS community gathers to celebrate the start of construction

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Standing before a packed auditorium, Scarborough High School Principal Diego Linares thanked the school community for passing the district’s 2012 Bond Program — a move that he said began the renewal of the 50-year-old campus.

The school is making great progress, Linares said, noting that students are meeting state standards and the campus boasts of having the most Futures Academy graduates in HISD. The renovation work underway will simply serve to strengthen and complement the campus.

“We are the school that builds upon the strengths of its students, rather than focus on their deficits. We are a school that views failure as a temporary rather than permanent state,” Linares said. “Now, we can say we’re the school that’s on the verge of providing the most functional building to meet the student’s needs.”

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Excellence – Whatever it Takes: Sam Houston motto rings true as construction begins

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The excitement was palpable as the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center Mariachi Band began to perform on Friday, formally kicking off the celebration designed to mark the start of construction on their new school.

Blustery winds didn’t stop dozens of students, teachers, parents, and alumni from gathering in the school parking lot to witness the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Sam Houston — part of the 2012 Bond Program — and catch a peek of the construction that already is underway.

“I believe strongly that our students deserve a state-of-the-art school,” Sam Houston Principal Alan Summers said. “Not only because they deserve to go to a school that looks good, but also because they deserve to be in a building that has facilities to help prepare them for life after high school.

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Mark White ES French immersion program touted in French-American magazine 

Since opening its doors last August as the first public French immersion program in Texas and one of just a few in the country, Mark White Elementary School has been warmly received.

The opening of the unique school, where students spend part of the day learning in French and part learning in English, is particularly welcome news to the French community and those who speak the language — sometimes referred to as Francophones.

Recently, the new school was featured in an article in France-Amerique, America’s largest French-language magazine and the only one to be published throughout the country. The article, which is written in both French and English, discusses the benefits of the school’s dual-language program and its impact on the Francophone community.

Read the France-Amerique article here.

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Garden Oaks Montessori gathers for groundbreaking

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Despite a stormy forecast, the weather cleared up just long enough Friday morning for the Garden Oaks Montessori community to officially celebrate the start of construction on their new addition and renovations.

The suddenly sunny skies matched the mood of hundreds of students, staff, and community members who took part in the groundbreaking ceremony.

“We have some sunlight, so let’s make the most of this beautiful moment in time,” Principal Lindsey Pollock said as she kicked off the celebration, which included student performances and a recitation of the Garden Oaks Creed.

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Energy Institute HS students create art car for Super Bowl festivities 

Energy Institute High School unveiled a student-created art car on Monday at Discovery Green that was created in partnership with Noble Energy for this year’s Art Car Parade.

The car was on display Monday night as part of the Super Bowl showcase. The goal was to create a car that revealed how oil and gas companies extend to our everyday lives beyond the gas pump. Continue reading →

New year, new school for Sterling Aviation HS students

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The first day back at school after winter break isn’t usually a day to celebrate among high school teens wishing they had one more day to sleep in.

But the atmosphere at Sterling Aviation High School was different on Wednesday as students reported for the first time to their new campus — a grand building with spacious classrooms, broad windows, colorful furniture, and the latest technology.

“It’s better than the old building,” said Sterling senior Rae’janae Bennings, as she caught up with friends outside the central dining commons before the first bell.  “It’s bigger, and it looks way better.”

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New HISD Chief Operating Officer pledges outreach, assistance to small business owners

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Houston Independent School District Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby pledged more outreach and assistance to small business owners seeking to do business with the district in his first public appearance since being named to lead the district’s business operations division and its 7,000 employees.

“This is not a job for me, but a lifeblood,” Busby told the Greater Houston Black Chamber on Thursday. “I didn’t take this job to get to the next job. I took this job to make a difference in the lives of our students.”

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Construction on new DeBakey High School for Health Professions nearing completion

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Construction on the new DeBakey High School for Health Professions is wrapping up as contractor Tellepsen prepares to turn the building over to HISD next month.

The new 198,000-square-foot, five-story facility located on the western edge of Houston’s world-renowned Texas Medical Center is slated to have furniture delivered and additional technology upgrades installed in the first quarter of 2017.

Named for legendary heart surgeon Michael E. DeBakey, the new school then could be available for use before the end of the spring semester. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves construction contract to renovate Codwell ES, re-open it to students

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education last week approved a $12 million construction contract to renovate Codwell Elementary School on the district’s south side so that it could re-open for students.

The building at 5225 Tavenor Lane has been closed and vacant since the summer of 2014 when renovation work being done as part of the 2007 bond program uncovered significant moisture problems that required the students to relocate.

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Sterling Aviation HS to open doors to students on Jan. 4

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When Sterling Aviation High School students return to class after winter break, they’ll report to a modern, new building with contemporary furniture, broad windows, and spacious classrooms and hallways adorned in bright, bold colors.

The grand building — specifically designed to enhance their aviation sciences program and support 21st century learning — has been long-awaited by the Sterling community, and it is well deserved.

“I think it’s going to mean that they’re not forgotten,” Fuentes said, describing the importance of the new building to his students and community. The feeling of being forgotten seemed reinforced as the school was labeled by the state as “Improvement Required” and lost academic programs. “Now, we have a new school, we’re no longer IR, we’re adding programs. They’re starting to see that they have value. They are valued.”

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